U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited the Washington Bridge in Providence on Tuesday, days after the news that the westbound side of the bridge must be demolished and rebuilt due to structural deficiencies. The state estimates the process could take up to two years. At a press conference on the Gano street off-ramp, Buttigieg […]
Transportation
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Transportation
RIPTA staves off service cuts — for now
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority announced today it will postpone implementing unpopular bus service cuts that had originally been planned for early spring. The agency, which planned the cuts because of a driver shortage, said in a statement that the postponement would give more time for RIPTA to attract new drivers. RIPTA said in […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Transportation
Washington Bridge westbound must be demolished and undergo years-long rebuild
The state of Rhode Island plans to demolish and completely rebuild the westbound side of the Washington Bridge, a project officials expect to take two years or more. “We will be replacing the bridge,” Gov. Dan McKee said at a news conference Thursday. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation closed the westbound span, which carries […]
Posted inLabor, Local, Transportation
RIPTA board member Pat Crowley on how the agency can avoid proposed service cuts
Rhode Island’s public transit authority, RIPTA, has been making headlines lately. Proposed service cuts, angry riders, an embattled CEO, and debate over where to locate Providence’s central bus hub.
Posted inArts And Culture, The Weekly Catch, Transportation
RIPTA CEO on driver raises and possible service cuts, Tidewater Landing’s mounting price tag, and more
This week, RIPTA’s board voted to raise wages for drivers, a move the agency hopes will stave off possible service cuts. We talk with RIPTA CEO Scott Avedisian. Also, the Tidewater Landing soccer stadium deal will cost Rhode Islanders tens of millions more than originally planned. Boston Globe reporter Brian Amaral explains how much more taxpayers are on the hook for and why. Plus, on Artscape this week: actor Kali Reis, co-star of the latest season of HBO’s “True Detective.” It’s the third acting role for Reis, a former boxing world champion who was born in Providence and grew up in East Providence. That and more coming up on this episode of The Weekly Catch.
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Transportation
RIPTA boss hopeful driver raises will prevent service cuts
The board governing RIPTA voted Thursday to increase driver salaries 16.6% from a starting pay of $21.71 per hour to $25.33. The pay raise is intended to address a driver shortage at the agency. RIPTA is short 20 drivers, and because of that, according to RIPTA CEO Scott Avedisian, is considering cutting service to 11 […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, Transportation
Fix for Washington Bridge headaches can’t come soon enough in East Providence
Before everyone was talking about the Washington Bridge, the buzz in East Providence was about the Henderson Bridge. The new bridge opened last November, built to address previous structural deficiencies, and the redesign will ultimately leave some 25 acres of land for future development. While not everyone loves the new rotary coming off the bridge, […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Transportation
RIDOT will add two new lanes over the Washington Bridge
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation announced on Wednesday plans to introduce a new traffic pattern to improve travel times over the Washington Bridge in Providence. State transportation officials say they plan to add one new eastbound and one new westbound lane in eight weeks. That will bring the total number of lanes from four […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Transportation
Here’s what bus riders think of RIPTA’s proposed service cuts
Eighteen-year-old Angela Sarmiento is a regular on RIPTA bus 18. She uses it to get from her home in Cranston to school, or to her job at a retirement home on the East Side of Providence. She says it’s pretty reliable. “It comes on time. It’s never late,” she said. But Sarmiento’s commute might get […]
Posted inPolitics, Transportation
Federal Highway Administrator tours ailing Washington Bridge
The head of the Federal Highway Administration toured the area around the Washington Bridge on Monday, underscoring how the westbound position of the bridge may need to be replaced. “The reason I came up here today is because of the transition from a repair to a potential replacement,” FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt told reporters after […]
